"Clefairy, go!" Whitney shouted, releasing the ball from her grip and causing it to drop to the ground with a gentle thud.

The contents of light spilt out onto the stadium floor in seconds to reveal a small, humanoid Pokemon about three or four feet high. It's fur was a short, well-groomed shade of pastel pink, and it's black eyes shone brightly as it looked up to Zak with an odd sense of curiosity.

This Pokemon seemed more suited as a toy store mascot than a fighting monster. Zak stared at the creature before his opponent called over to him.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Oh, right..." Zak mumbled in response, looking back up at her before throwing down the Pokeball in his hand.

The sphere split open and shot out a glow of light which faded slowly to reveal his Fearow, Pick. The bird hovered magnificently over the battlefield, towering over it's opponent, whose look of curiosity was beginning to turn into slight worry.

"Alright Pick, go for a Quick Attack!"

The bird obeyed, dashing towards the Clefairy and striking it directly in the side before retreating back up to the safety of the air. The enemy clutched it's wound, looking close to being defeated already.

"No!" Whitney cried, her voice filling with despair. "Clefairy, use your Metronome!"

The Clefairy winced slightly before nodding to it's master and reluctantly moving it's hands from it's sides and holding them up high into the air.

The small fingers begin to twirl lazily in a strange, clockwise motion back and forth. The air around Pick seemed to get heavy as the bird struggled to keep it's eyes on the enemy.

Suddenly and without warning, Clefairy began to glow a deep orange colour, as if something was on fire inside of it's body. The glow slowly became more intense until the small creature was enveloped in raging flames which spread out and engulfed the entire stadium in molten light, accompanied by a large explosion. The flames slowly died away and both Pokemon could be seen lying motionless on the floor of the Gym.

"What the...?" Zak muttered. He pointed the Pokeball in his hands to return Pick to the safety of his possession. Whitney did the same for her Pokemon.

"I'm real proud of you, Clefairy. Sorry you had to do that." she whispered to the spherical object in her hands which now housed her fainted warrior.

"Okay..." she murmured, replacing the ball on her belt and releasing her second choice of Pokemon. "Miltank, it's your turn!"

This Pokemon was another that Zak had never seen before. It didn't seem too threatening, but it was over twice the size of the Clefairy she had used previously. It's fine, short black and white fur was glossy and vibrant, and it seemed to have been well taken care of. A small, golden yellow bell was tied around it's neck, causing it to seem even less intimidating.

"In that case I'll use you, Tauros!" Zak cried, throwing his choice of Pokeball down into the arena. The bull snorted, dragging it's front right hoof against the floor of the Gym, ready to begin it's part of the battle.

"Oh, how cute!" Whitney muttered loudly, clasping her hands together and bringing them to her chest. "It's so good to see someone else enjoying the wonders of Normal-type Pokemon..."

"Uh... Are we going to fight or what...?" Zak called over from the other end of the stadium.

"Ugh...!" Whitney growled, taking a small bottle of what looked to be a kind of Pokemon ointment in her hand. She unscrewed the top and threw it above her warrior, spreading an odd kind of powder over it.

"That X Defend should help do the trick!" she exclaimed before pointing straight towards Zak's Pokemon. "Alright then, Miltank, use Infatuation!"

The Pokemon nodded it's head lazily, then fixed it's gaze upon it's opponent. Tauros snorted again, staring straight back into the Miltank's eyes with a defiant look in them. Whitney's Pokemon slowly broke the connection by closing it's eyes and mooing gently. Zak watched the fight, confused.

"What... Is happening?" he asked himself under his breath, despite knowing that he wouldn't get the answer. "That's enough! Tauros, use your Stomp attack on it!"

Tauros stayed completely still, it's eyes fixated on the enemy. It moved it's head in a seemingly hypnotic state, as if it couldn't hear it's trainers orders.

"What are you waiting for!?" Zak cried. The fact that he didn't know what was happening to his Pokemon made it so much worse.

"I assume you don't even know what Infatuation does, right?" the opposing trainer called over. Zak frowned.

"Well, no... But..."

Whitney laughed slightly.

"Your Tauros is a male, right?" she continued, her sweet smile now showing a hint of triumph.

"I... I don't know?" Zak stammered.

"It won't fight my Miltank." Whitney explained. "Just like the name says, your Pokemon now adores mine, and won't attack it without great difficulty. Now..." the leader began, lifting her arm up towards the ceiling. "Miltank, use Rollout!"

The Pokemon mooed it's confirmation of the order, stepping back slightly in preparation for the attack. Suddenly it began to dash straight towards the enemy, galloping at an alarming rate of speed. Before impact it propelled itself in the air and spun it's body vertically, striking the target and causing Tauros to reel backwards, still with a dazed look on it's face.

"Ugh, this is useless..." Zak complained, returning his Pokemon to it's specific ball. "Now what...?"

He sighed, looking down to his side to check on which Pokemon to use next.

"Aha..." he smiled, taking one into his palm and throwing it straight into the battlefield. "Torch, I choose you!"

The ball split open on impact with the ground and burst open to allow Zak's Magmar to take it's place on the stadium. The fire Pokemon opened it's mouth, excitedly jumping on the spot, eager to do well in this fight.

"Ha!" Whitney laughed. "Miltank, use Infatuation on it!"

"Don't look at it, Torch!" Zak called out, though he was too late. The Magmar's gaze had already met with that of the Miltank, and he too was under it's spell. "Ugh... Oh no... Well... Try and use your Flamethrower on it!"

The Magmar shook it's head, desperately trying to free itself of the 'spell' Whitney's Pokemon had put on it. Whilst it was flailing around, holding it's head desperately, Miltank had already begun it's attack, spinning directly into the creature and causing it to skid along the floor, smoke beginning to emerge from the friction between the ground and it's hot skin.

Torch slowly got to it's feet, shaking it's head before looking up and seeing a second Rollout attack coming straight towards it. It scrambled along the edge of the stadium and dashed into the centre, narrowly avoiding the Miltank. It's reactions were sluggish and it was clear it was in a desperate struggle, trying to fight what it didn't want to.

The Magmar jumped up into the air and spewed out a long stream of intense flames from it's mouth, scorching the Miltank's fur and causing it to continue rolling around the stadium in an attempt to cool down. It skidded at the edge of the stadium and rolled back to where it had come from, straight towards Torch.

The Gym's Pokemon crashed directly into the slow-moving Magmar, sending it flying out of the ring and landing with a crash. Torch's hand went up slightly, shaking before falling to the ground in exhaustion.

"Torch, return!" Zak ordered, directing a stream of red light from the Magmar's Pokeball at the fainted creature, picking it up and restoring it to the safety of the sphere.

"Woah..." he breathed quietly, determined not to let Whitney see her fighting strategy was getting to him. He watched her out of the corner of his eye as he spoke under his breath. "Good thing humans can't use Infatuation... Alright!"

He took a third Pokeball from his belt, pressing the small white button in the centre to enlarge it to fit snugly into his palm. His look of confidence was all a front - Virtually all of his Pokemon were male, and therefore easily susceptible to Whitney's Infatuation/Rollout strategy. All except one...

"Nidoqueen, I choose you!"

Zak released the pale blue plated Pokemon into the ring, the smile on his face evident. Nidoqueen seemed ready to fight, roaring in a light, high pitched tone and outstretching it's arms into the air. It looked down on the Miltank, which seemed to share it's trainer's nerves. Whitney hadn't been expecting this.

"Uh..." she murmered, looking up at the towering dinosaur of a Pokemon. "We could still... Maybe... Uh, Miltank! Use Rollout: as much power as you can, go!"

Whitney's Pokemon mooed confidently, speeding up into a roll before circling the Nidoqueen several times. The speed of the animal had begun to create small trails of smoke that rose from the ground. Suddenly and without warning, Miltank collided into it's target, causing Nidoqueen to flinch slightly.

"Nidoqueen, try and get it in range for an Ice Beam!" Zak declared, watching as his Pokemon tried to get it's bearings. She looked up and scanned the area. The Miltank was gone.

Nidoqueen looked around, confused, before falling straight onto the ground after being struck from behind. Miltank rolled over the fallen Pokemon and skidded on the edge of the stadium, turning for the next hit. Hurriedly, Nidoqueen opened it's mouth and blasted a continuous beam of ice straight at the speeding opponent. Miltank continued to roll towards her, speed increasing, beginning to overpower the ice.

"No way...!" Zak gasped.

Nidoqueen finished her attack, though she barely had time to catch her breath before Whitney's Miltank delivered a third and final blow to the monster, pushing it down onto it's back, kicking up some of the dirt that had emerged from the fight.

"YES!" Whitney cried, ecstatic. She jumped up and down on the spot, punching the air victoriously. "You did it Miltank, way to go!"

She turned back to Zak, who was staring at the ground beneath his feet.

"Ready to give up?" she asked. Zak smiled and lifted his head, a small, dark blue sphere held between his first two fingers. He pressed the button in the centre to enlarge the Great ball in his hands.

"Not by a long shot." he said, smiling.

He threw the ball down onto the stadium ground, revealing his father's Scizor standing tall and confident in the centre of the field. Whitney let out a slight gasp of terror - her Miltank was on it's last knees.

"Scizor..." Zak began, his smile growing. "Why don't you show this Miltank just why you're the strongest of my Pokemon?"

Scizor did nothing but stand there. It growled slightly, watching it's trainer from the corner of it's eye.

"Okay Miltank, we're not out yet!" Whitney urged. "Use Infatuation on it! Then it'll be ripe for the picking!"

Miltank nodded nervously, turning from her trainer over to the opposing Pokemon in front of her. It appeared to be watching it's own trainer more than the Miltank.

"Hey, Scizor, watch out!" Zak warned, pointing to Whitney's Pokemon, but again it looked like he was too late. Miltank began to moo softly, shaking it's head gently and causing the bell around it's neck to chime. Scizor stared at Miltank for a moment, then snorted, turning back to it's trainer.

"...Huh?" Whitney mumbled, puzzled by this event. "What the...? Unless...!" her eyes widened as she came to the realisation of Scizor's behaviour.

"Ah, of course!" she exclaimed, pointing straight at Zak's Pokemon.

"Huh?" Zak stuttered, watching the Gym leader from his end of the stadium. "What is it...?"

"Can't you see!?" Whitney laughed. "Your Scizor doesn't respect you! How did you even manage to catch it? It's not listening to a thing you say!"

"...What?" Zak asked under his breath.

He thought back to the different times he had used Scizor in battle. Of course! He had never given Scizor a direct order... The Pokemon must have been acting of it's own accord the whole time...

"Oh, this is just too perfect!" Whitney giggled, turning back to Miltank. "Okay, just keep rolling Miltank! Since Rollout doubles in power every time you make a hit, it looks like our challenger is going to fall pretty soon..."

Whitney's eyes glinted as she looked over to Zak, whose smile had now disappeared amid the worry she had just unloaded on him.

Miltank mooed happily, it's nerves gone as it began to spin on the spot, revving itself for the final blow to end this match. It spun faster, and faster, and faster... It's speed now at maximum potential, the Pokemon charged straight for Zak's.

The distance was depleted in mere seconds, until she was inches away from impact, when suddenly, Scizor lifted it's leg up and kicked the Pokemon away, sending it spiralling up in the air and crashing down into the well decorated flower beds that adorned the centre of the Gym.

Scizor growled, it's gaze now turned onto Whitney. Zak watched it, shocked, before hesitantly returning it to the ball in his hands. He stared at the sphere in his hands, not able to believe what it had just achieved. It rolled slightly, causing Zak to feel a burning sensation in the centre of his palm where it lay. He quickly attached it to his belt, shaking his head as if trying to wake up from a dream.

Zak stood there in silence for a moment before walking over towards his defeated opponent.

Whitney was on her knees, staring at the ground, hugging her Miltank, who, despite several bruises, seemed to be okay. Zak crouched down next to her, though she moved her head further away, not allowing him to see her face.

"Uh..." Zak murmered. "I..."

"Just leave me alone!" Whitney shouted, returning Miltank to it's Pokeball and walking away. Zak could hear her sobbing.

"But, I..."

"Just shut up!" she cried, moving swiftly away from the stadium and heading towards a small door near the back of the Gym.

Zak could hear the sound of a key turning as she slammed it shut behind her. He clenched his fist, allowing his eyes to trail down to his belt, where the Great ball lay. He shook his head, still overwhelmed by the power of the creature, before walking away towards the exit of the Gym.

He didn't need the badge to prove himself. What counted was the experience.


Zak closed the double doors behind him, staring up at the afternoon sky and sighing deeply. He felt bad about Whitney - he had barely managed to win. He felt that she had played the better match, and unwittingly shown him a lot of his weaknesses as a trainer. Nothing could be done about it now though.

He leaned against the outside wall of the Gym before setting back out to the Pokemon Centre, where he would heal his warriors and head south to the next town. As he walked, Zak thought to himself.

'Whitney was right...' he breathed, feeling the hot rays of sunshine beating down on him. He brushed his hand through his black hair, feeling the moisture of the sweat from the previous match.

'I can't even control my Pokemon right... And if I can't control you...' he paused, taking the Great ball from his belt again and examining it. 'Then I guess I'll never find my father...' he replaced the Pokeball to his side and continued walking.


Whitney sobbed into the soft tissue, brushing away the tears that had escaped before she moaned louder, causing more to emerge.

"Why does this always happen to me!?" she whined, taking another tissue from the box beside her and attempting to dry her eyes once more.

She looked up to the white ceiling, where a single light flickered slightly in response.

"If my parents saw me now..." she whimpered. "They'd realise how useless I am... Oh, that jerk!" she cried, remembering Zak's face. "It's all his fault!"

There was a knock at the door, causing Whitney to pause, listening out to see who it was.

"Whitney?" a female voice called. "Whitney, are you in there?"

"Ayane?" she called back, fighting back the tears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" the voice of her friend called back. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah..." Whitney replied, throwing away the used tissue in her hand. "Hold on..." she got up, taking the small, bronzed key from the table and unlocking the door with it.

Her friend walked in, the same one with the green hair from yesterday.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, noticing Whitney's tear stained face. "What happened here?"

"It's nothing..." she responded, feeling her friend's arms hug her in a warm embrace. "I lost again... Like I always do!"

"Hey, come on!" the girl snapped. "Don't talk like that!"

"But it's true... I'll never get anywhere with my training if I stay here! I'm just waiting to be beaten, again and again...!" she began to cry again. "Oh, why me!? His Pokemon were just too powerful!"

Ayane patted her friend on the back.

"There, there..." she whispered in her ear. "...Hey!" she exclaimed, suddenly coming to a realisation. Whitney broke their hug, looking back at the girl.

"What...?" she sniffed. Ayane smiled.

"That guy..." she said, smiling. "He only just left, right? You could... If you hurry... You might be able to go with him..."

"WHAT!?" Whitney shouted. "Go with him...? That loser!? Oh, come on, Ayane! You know I'll never learn anything about Pokemon training if I go with him! He was just lucky is all! Besides, I have to run things here..."

"So if he was just lucky," another voice chimed in as a slightly chubby, older man entered the room. "why are you so upset?"

"Uncle..." Whitney sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes. She hated her Uncle Milton seeing her like this - she hated to show any signs of weakness to him, just in case he left just like the rest of them.

"Whitney..." Milton sighed. "You're too stubborn."

Whitney didn't respond, instead she simply stared at the floor, her arms wrapped around her legs as she continued to lapse into her brooding depression.

"I was watching the battle, you know." the old man chuckled, sitting down beside his niece and rubbing her shoulder sympathetically. "It was a lot closer than you think."

"Go after him. I'll take over the Gym for you, until you come back." her uncle continued.

Whitney looked deep into her uncle's eyes.

"But," Whitney's trembling voice spoke up once more. "Uncle Milton... You don't even know that kid. Why do you want me to-"

Her uncle interrupted her thoughts by placing a finger over her lips and smiled sincerely.

"You know it makes sense."

Whitney was silent. She stared down at the ground, watching her feet idly, trying to think of reasons not to go.

"Don't put it off any longer." Ayane insisted. "You're a great Pokemon trainer, but sometimes... Sometimes you just have to broaden your horizons."


Zak looked back at the huge city which he was about to leave behind. Though he had only spent a day here, he felt a part of him had grown already. He now knew what he had to do: he had to devote himself to training his Pokemon, and give them the opportunity to trust him as a trainer, and as a partner.

The city was again bathed in a deep shade of orange as the sun began to set beyond the mountains, far away. Sighing, he turned back to his destination: south, through Ilex Forest and on to Azalea Town. His determination had grown immensely.

He took the first step out of the city and again into neutral territory. The serene calm of nature made a pleasing contrast to the bustling city of Goldenrod. He was now alone, with only the trees, the fields, and the hidden Pokemon for company. He continued to walk forward, to the next step of his journey.

"Hey!" a voice called behind him.

Zak turned, looking back at the city that he had just left. A girl was running towards him, though he couldn't quite make out who it was. Upon closer proximity, he realised that it was Whitney, the Gym leader. For some reason, she had a pastel-pink backpack slung across her back.

"Hey!" she panted, finally making her way to him. She paused for breath before continuing - running through Goldenrod wasn't the easiest thing in the world.

"I... I just wanted to give you... To give you this..." she said, offering him a small yellow, diamond shaped badge. Zak looked at it for a moment before turning his back on her and walking away.

"Thanks, but I don't need this." he replied.

"Hey, wait!" she called back after him, running along at his side. "Please, I want you to take it!"

Zak stopped again, then looked into her eyes, those shining, brilliant chestnut eyes.

"I could see it meant a lot to you." he replied. "You can keep it."

Whitney scowled at this. She was far too used to getting her own way at times.

"You're going to take it whether you like it or not!" she ordered, thrusting it at him.

Zak hesitated before taking it from her, pinning it onto his shirt next to his other trophy.

"Thanks..." he muttered. There was an uneasy silence, the rustling of the leaves in the wind the only thing that punctuated it.

Zak again turned to walk away, when Whitney took his hand. He stopped in his tracks, turning back around in surprise.

"And..." she began. "I'm... Well, that is, I'd like to..." she breathed nervously. Why was it so hard to ask? "If you don't mind, I'd like to join you... On your Pokemon journey..."

"No way." he answered.

Whitney appeared flustered. "But why!?"

"It..." he sighed, remembering what his father's friend had told him - 'trust only in yourself'. "Well, I..."

Whitney continued to look up at him, her eyes eager to please.

"Ugh..." he complained, putting a hand on his head. "It just wouldn't work... You wouldn't understand..."

"Please...?" she begged, tightening her grip on him, her hands now wrapped around his arm. "It won't be for that long... Just until you reach Violet City? You are going that way, aren't you?"

"...I guess..." Zak mumbled most incoherently.

"...Please?" Whitney insisted.

Zak smiled to himself. He was too soft for his own good, but he just couldn't deny her her wish.

"...Sure..." he sighed, feigning exasperation. "But only until we reach Violet, okay?"

Whitney nodded, smiling sweetly.

"I promise."

There was a slightly awkward pause before Whitney spoke up again, extending her hand towards Zak.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced yet." She explained. "I'm Whitney. Whitney Akane."

"I'm Zak." Zak replied, smiling and taking her hand, shaking it firmly. "Zak Vangard."

"Well, it's nice to finally meet you, Zak!" Whitney giggled. "Shall we go?"

And with that, the two trainers headed south towards Ilex Forest, unaware that two figures stood watch from the Goldenrod city gates.

"Are you sure she'll be alright with that guy?" Ayane asked Milton, who stood grinning, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"Just call it a premonition." he answered back, his eyes locked on the two trainers as they blended into the horizon. "I predict great things for those two."